The practice of preventive cardiology is profoundly influenced by the attitudes, knowledge and practical experiences that students acquire their clinical training. Effective faculty teaching activities are crucial for positively influencing students' attitudes, knowledge and clinical skills. This Preventive Cardiology Academic Award application requests a support to develop an innovative comprehensive, interdisciplinary preventive cardiology educational program at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The primary goal of the curriculum is to foster the development of trainees' clinical skills in preventive cardiology. This will be accomplished by a dual educational program that will (a) improve students' knowledge by developing a basic and clinical core curriculum in preventing cardiology based on case-oriented discussion and didactic sessions, and (b) develop a core group of clinical faculty by fostering their expertise in preventive cardiology and teaching/mentoring. These faculty will assist in developing a clinical curriculum in preventive cardiology, and serve as the primary role models, clinical mentors, and evaluators for the clinical instructional program for students and residents. The faculty development emphasis, focusing upon the "Clinical Scholars in Preventive Cardiology" is a critical component of this proposal. This comprehensive preventive cardiology program will be primarily developed and implemented by the Principal Investigator, who is a board- certified pediatric cardiologist, and the Project Coordinator, who is a behavioral scientist with extensive training in education and evaluation methodologies. Other participants who will make major contributions to this program have extensive training and experience in medical education, including the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Chairman of Pediatrics, and Director of the Office of Educational Development. Each segment of the educational program will be critically evaluated for its content, presentation and efficacy. The clinical performance of students in preventive cardiology will also be critically analyzed by using several established and validated clinical assessment measures currently used at the University. An educational program for the Principal Investigator has also been developed to supplement her knowledge in preventive medicine and health professions education by formal course work and independent study.